Air Force Veteran Fired 23 Shots Before Being Killed By SWAT

Think about this for a second. 23 shots in the air. In other words, he wasn't aiming at anyone. Next time you hear someone say something about how dangerous veterans are, remember that. He was only a danger to himself.

Don't blame SWAT officers because this happens all the time across the country and they have to decide what to do because no one knows for sure if it will end differently.

Sometimes it does end with the veteran turning himself in or just being wounded and usually they are taken to get the help they desperately need. For other times, actually most of the time, they really don't have another choice because too many veterans are still suffering instead of healing.

Someone please remind me again how repeating the same "efforts" over and over again is helping? From what I've seen, what works has been forgotten about and Congress just keeps passing the same old bullshit that failed too many for too long.

Air Force veteran fired 23 shots before he was killed by police
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
By KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ
March 3, 3015

Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Kevin McMahill speaks about the officer involved shooting that occurred on Feb. 25, 2015, in the 5300 block of East Craig Road, at Metro headquarters on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Francis Spivey, 43, was suicidal and armed with an AR-15 rifle when he was fatally shot after a two-hour confrontation with police.
(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

On the balcony of his second-story apartment in U.S. Air Force dress blue uniform, Francis “Frank” Lamantia Spivey stood with an assault rifle pushed up to his chin just after midnight Feb. 25.

Over the course of two hours, the retired serviceman fired 23 rounds from his rifle into the air and nearby buildings at the Eagle Trace apartment complex, 5370 E. Craig Road, threatening Las Vegas police officers during a standoff before being fatally shot, police said at a press conference Tuesday.

Spivey, who served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, told negotiators he would “shoot every single officer that he sees,” McMahill said.

A single shot to the chest from SWAT Officer Bradley Cupp’s rifle at 1:48 a.m. ended negotiations that night in Metro’s second officer-involved shooting of 2015.

“Our officers exercised incredible restraint,” Metro Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said, citing the scrutiny Metro has faced in past officer-involved shootings.

Armed with six magazines holding 124 rounds of ammunition for his AR 15, Spivey, 43, demanded to talk to his estranged girlfriend. His exchange with police was captured by a camera worn by one of the officers and shown during Tuesday’s news conference.

“You put that (expletive) on the (expletive) phone,” Spivey shouted from his balcony.

Officers taking shelter behind a car in the complex parking lot are heard pleading with him to put his rifle down.

“There’s no way I can bring the phone to you, Frank,” an officer says, trying to negotiate. “She’s scared too, Frank.”
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